Remember my note that anything less frantic than last year means the hybrid fad is over?

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story....6-622a5327b670

" . . .
According to Art Spinella, the uber-auto analyst and President of CNW Marketing Research, hybrid sales every month this year have been down compared to the same time last year. Even sales of the Toyota Prius – the darling of the greens – have dropped significantly. The only segment besides taxis where hybrids are still holding steady – taxpayers will be happy to note -- is the car fleets maintained by the government.

What's particularly interesting is that individual consumers are defying all expectations and turning their backs on hybrids at a time when gas prices are soaring. (The average U.S. retail price of gas spiked to a record high of $3.01 last September following hurricane Katrina, and just last week it hit its second highest price ever at nearly $3.00.) Nor is the reason all that mysterious. Spinella's customer satisfaction surveys show that 62 percent of hybrid owners are dissatisfied with the fuel-economy performance of their cars given what they have paid for them.

This means that when gas prices go up, these people don't rush out to buy more hybrids. "They buy a Chevy Aveo," says Spinella. "It delivers the same fuel economy as a Prius, but at half the price."

Consumer interest might revive if the cost of hybrids goes down substantially – or the cost of fuel goes up and stays up for a long period of time, Spinella believes. Until then, however, the hybrid market is unlikely to come out of the deep freeze, a reality that even Ford had to finally acknowledge.
. . ."

Have You Hugged a Hummer Today?
Hybrid vehicles' overall energy costs exceed those of comparable non-hybrids
By Shikha Dalmia, 7/19/2006 7:37:22 PM


FYI:


Hawaii Reporter Inc.
1314 S. King St. Suite 1163
Honolulu, HI 96814
Phone: (808) 524-4500
Fax: (808) 524-4594


Send a Letter to the Editor or an Editorial
HawaiiReporter.com reports the real news, and prints all letters and editorials submitted, even if they do not represent the viewpoint of the editors, as long as they are written clearly. Send letters and editorials via email to: Malia@HawaiiReporter.com


Remember, it is the editor and their fact checker we need to contact. Let them learn the 'lessons' about CNW Marketing.


Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.